Looking at 5 to 10?

Nope!  It's not a sentence.  Horizons leaders have been working since early April to discern more intently for the church where God is leading us into the next 5 to 10 years.  We've been calling it the 5/10 Plan.  We sought the hearts and dreams of all Horizons people, we surveyed a broad spectrum of leaders, we prayed for days, studied scripture, held hours worth of gatherings and meetings, and we worked together to learn a ton!

And now the plan has nearly taken shape!  Final drafting and future picture-painting will happen this week, and the broad spectrum of leaders will gather again this Sunday to see what has come of this process.  After conversations and prayer happen Sunday and perhaps some final edits, we hope and pray to share the plan with all of Horizons!

As the Pastor, I share my excitement and my anticipation!  It's been clear since last fall this is what was next for Horizons.  For nearly 3 years since I first arrived, we've been working tirelessly to return Horizons to a healthy state.  It's been great seeing what God can do!  Yet, going through a process of future planning, especially if it's truly Spirit-led, cannot be forced or manipulated.  If the activities of something like this are not in line with what God's intending, there's simply no going forward.

The depth to which this process has taken Horizons and me personally has been astonishing.  There were several times when I questioned if we'd need to prolong the process--not because it wasn't going anywhere, but because the more we learned and the deeper we dug, the more we realized we had more work, more learning, and more digging to do (digging includes praying, searching, etc.).  Even as our final focused study group opened its third meeting of three hours, I wondered where God would lead us.  My hope was simply that the Holy Spirit would be present, strong, and willing to bless our hopes and desires.  It was mind and heart-blowing to see just what God can do so perfectly with imperfect hearts.  By the time we finished, I could see it!  Our work was still a diamond in the rough, but we could see it!

In reflecting on this process personally, I am blown away by how God has been working through it to grow me.  I've never led any process like this.  Many churches and businesses will pay thousands of dollars to have a trained person take them through this process.  Additionally, there was much to learn about Horizons itself--where our dreams and fears and hopes and hurts all lie.  There have been some challenging moments and opinions.  There have been some surprising twists and turns.  I read through dozens of interesting articles and have engaged in various conversations. All along, the dialogue running through my heart has been  God?  Am I doing what you need of me?  Will you reveal to us where your heart for Horizons truly is?  Will you give me what I need to lead this faithfully?  Jesus, is this part of what you were willing to die for? 

Leadership and servanthood are terrifying.  Yes, they are also immensely gratifying, but mostly only in hindsight.  Godly leadership leaves all of the ego behind and most of our worldly confidence and assurance, because God's plans are always bigger, typically less comfortable, and often more radical than our human-contrived plans.  God's plans don't always seem to make sense or seem possible.  Sometimes they feel quite counter-intuitive.  Being the one God calls to champion His plans requires all the humility, trust, and courage we possess.  Nothing more.

Yet, I'm thankful to have the chance.  I'm grateful to be used as God chooses.  I continue to pray daily for where God's leading us, and I work to lay down my needs and ego.  Sure, I'm not Moses, Peter, or Paul, but at least I can play a small, yet important role in building God's kingdom!

Here's to the upcoming 5/10!

More to come!  


Jason <><